The world has a total forest area of 10 billion acres equivalent to 31 per cent or a third of the earth’s habitable landmass. This is according to the United Nation’s Forest Resource Assessment of 2020.
According to the comprehensive National Forest Resources Assessment and Mapping Report 2010, Kenya has a total forest cover of 4.18 million hectares equivalent to 6.99 per cent.
The figure is against a national target of 10 per cent as spelt out in the Vision 2030 blueprint, the National Climate Change Response Strategy and the Nationally Determined Contribution.
To fight climate change and increase the country’s forest cover, the government came up with an initiative in partnership with the private sector, to plant trees to spur tree growing culture among communities.
This was an effort to reverse the earlier trend of deforestation which was rapidly wiping out the country’s forest cover.
Some of the efforts are enacting rules that encourage tree planting, conducting tree-planting campaigns, enhancing the conversion of natural forests on public, private and community land and the rehabilitation of degraded land.
Other efforts are implementing innovative restoration programmes like the Environment Soldier Programme where Kenya defence forces officers are involved in seedlings production and rehabilitation of the degraded forested areas.
Strengthening coordination and collaboration in the governance of the forest sector to facilitate implementation of legislations on tree planting among many others.
The Forest Conversation and Management (Amendment) Bill 2021 currently in parliament, could prove detrimental to the government’s efforts to spur re-afforestation and meet its target of 10 per cent forest cover.
The bill seeks to repeal Section 34 of the Forest Conversation and Management Act 2016 that protects rare, threatened and endangered species.
In the proposed amendment, any person can petition the National Assembly to vary the boundaries and revocate registration of state forest or a section of a public forest.
Currently, any proposal to vary the state forest boundaries and excision has to get a nod from the Kenya Forest Service.
This sends technical recommendations to parliament with regards to the variation of boundaries and excision of state forests. The bill further seeks to delete this clause
Passing the bill will be derisory and in bad taste, coming hot on the heels of the Climate Change Conference (COP 26), held recently in the United Kingdom.
During the conference, the President pledged Kenya’s commitment to the resolutions to fight global warming.
Among the resolutions, was enhanced re-afforestation among the member countries, to which Kenya is a signatory.
If the bill sails through, our forest cover will be left at the mercy of rogue developers.
It will set a precedence for the destruction of the remaining forest cover.
Soon, the paltry 6 per cent that our country currently boasts will dwindle further and any gains made in the recent past, to recover the degraded forested areas, reversed.
Forests form a very important component in the ecosystem, once destroyed many lives will be under threat. Some of the impacts of deforestation are severe and irreversible.
Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases.
If allowed to accumulate in the atmosphere, it eventually leads to a rise in global temperatures. Hence, forests help reduce global warming and the associated adverse effects of climate change.
The national assembly should heed the call by environmental activists not to pass the controversial Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill 2021.
According to studies, the country loses 12,000 hectares of land each year as a result of deforestation.
A report by Global Forest Resource Assessment Report indicates, Kenya lost a total of 311,000 hectares of forest land from 1990 to 2015.
The land was converted to settlements, crop farming and infrastructure development.
The degradation may be exacerbated if the effort to repeal the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016 is successful.
Many of the endangered species in our forests will be at risk as unscrupulous investors will jump at the opportunity to advance their ominous actions.
Some parts of the protected forested areas may soon be hived off to create space for development.
The idea to amend the forest conservation act is ill-advised and unacceptable.
It should be rejected forthwith to conserve our forest cover and ultimately, the rare and endangered species.
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Edited by Kiilu Damaris
